


The Tension and the Spark

by movementinthedark



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, DameRey, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Minor Armitage Hux/Ben Solo, Minor Finn/Rose Tico, Minor Snap Wexley/Karé Kun, Music Festival, Musician!Rey, Musicians, POV Alternating, Reunions, everyone gets along, musician!Poe, rey and ben are cousins, wow there are a lot of characters for a fairly short fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:13:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23166043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/movementinthedark/pseuds/movementinthedark
Summary: Off the success of their first album, Rey Skywalker and her best friend Finn Storm are ecstatic to be playing the annual Jakku Music Festival.Developing a fledgling music career, ex-pilot Poe Dameron is thrilled for the chance to play his own short set at the acclaimed event.What neither was counting on was the unexpected blast from the past.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Rey
Comments: 14
Kudos: 53





	The Tension and the Spark

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo I'm on a total Damerey kick at the moment, and I think I needed to write something to make up for the extreme slow burn of the Guernsey fic...
> 
> This is probably not an entirely accurate depiction of a major music festival, but I did my best. Rey and Finn's act is loosely inspired by the band Oh Wonder, and Poe's is much more directly based on Oscar Isaac's amazing performance in Inside Llewyn Davis (if you haven't seen it, stop reading this and go watch it instead).
> 
> In keeping with the music theme, the title is from the song "I Like The Way" by Darren Hayes.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

I.

“Come on!” Rey huffs impatiently.

She loves her friends, she _does_ , but there is nothing she wants more in this moment than to get close enough to the stages to hear some music. After all of the planning, and preparation, and rehearsal, they’re finally _here._ If she had her way, she’d have been through the festival gates and running for the nearest stage at the first possible second, but it was a longer trek from the campsite than she remembered, and they had to go back halfway there for Finn’s phone, which he left in the car. Then Rose wanted a drink, and Rey herself was waylaid by the numerous food vendors - she can’t help it, she’s _always_ hungry. And _then_ , they had to find first their designated spot for meeting Ben and Hux, who caught the shuttle from a nearby hotel, and then a consensus on which stage to visit first.

And now, she _really_ wants to hear some music.

Ben is leading the way through the rapidly growing crowd, his breadth and height clearing a path for the rest of the group. Rey can feel the energy thrumming around them, as the festival-goers rev up for a wild weekend. She’s been to Jakku Music Festival before, but she’d quite forgotten what it feels like, unlike any other place she’s ever been. She cannot _wait_ to play their set tomorrow. 

As they push through the crowd, approaching one of the stages, Rey hears the first hints of music drift towards them. It’s mellow and fairly quiet, acoustic, just guitar and voice, and she strains to better hear as they move closer, and it grows marginally louder. A man’s voice, she realizes, and it’s definitely familiar, although she can’t quite place it. Whoever it is, he’s a hell of a singer. Good guitarist, too. She’ll have to find out-

“Holy shit,” Ben says over his shoulder, coming to such an abrupt stop that Rey runs into his back. “That’s Poe Dameron.”

“What?” She squeezes into the space beside him, steadying herself on his shoulder and bouncing up on her toes to better see. Rey isn’t short, by any means, but she seems to be in a sea of six-foot men. One of whom is beside her, and another behind, Hux _still_ able to peer over the top of her head even when she’s on her toes. She’d glare back at him for good measure, but she’s too distracted by the man on the stage. Ben’s right, it _is_ Poe Dameron.

And isn’t that something.

She hasn’t seen him in nearly fifteen years, since she was thirteen years old, and he was preparing to leave for the Air Force Academy. Age has been kind to him, and he somehow looks both everything and nothing like the teenager she remembers. Broader, more filled out, more stubble on his cheeks, but the same dark, curly hair, and the same easy smile, as he finishes the song and a cheer goes up from the assembled crowd. 

“You didn’t know he’d be here, did you?” She asks Ben. But no, she’s sure he would have mentioned if he had.

Ben shakes his head. “I haven’t talked to Poe in ages. Last I knew, he was still flying planes.”

“What’re we looking at?” Finn asks, he and Rose squeezing in behind Rey as Hux moves to stand on Ben’s other side. “Oh wow, he’s good.”

For Poe has begun the next song, and Rey can’t tear her eyes away, or even summon up the words to agree wholeheartedly with Finn. That _voice_. It makes sense now, why it was familiar. How many hours did she spend in a tree in Han and Leia’s backyard, listening to Ben and Poe and the rest of their band rehearse next door in Poe’s garage? They weren’t as polished then, either of them, but pre-teen Rey had been impressed. It was more rock in those days, too, which is still Ben’s genre of choice. Present tense Poe is playing folk music, and he sounds absolutely perfect doing it.

“We should try to find him later,” Rey tells Ben. “Say hi.” 

“Sure.” His answering expression is a little too mischievous for her liking. She wonders what exactly he’s remembering.

“Wait, you know this guy?” Finn questions, leaning forward until his chin is practically on Rey’s shoulder. He sounds a bit like he might have a crush. Rey can relate, although she also knows for a fact that Finn really only has eyes for the petite, dark-haired girl at his side.

“Yeah.” She nods. “He was Ben’s neighbor growing up. They were in a band together as teenagers.”

“Rey had a crush on him,” her cousin says bluntly, and Rey socks him in the arm.

“Shut up. That was like, forever ago.” She retorts, as Finn and Rose laugh, and Ben raises an eyebrow. “And I was ten years old.”

“And eleven, and twelve, and thirteen,” Ben teases, and she glares at him.

So what if she’d had a childhood crush on Poe Dameron? He’d been older, and handsome, and actually nice to her, unlike Ben, who she’d really only started to get along with once they were both adults. She certainly doesn’t feel that way now, even if Poe is still handsome and has a voice like liquid gold.

Definitely not.

\------------

II.

Hours after his set, Poe is in one of the drink tents with Snap and Karé, enjoying a cold pint before the headlining shows get underway. It’s been a hot day, and while he doesn’t mind the heat all that much, he’s nonetheless happy for the reprieve that came with the setting sun. Poe’s in a good mood. When he was first out of the service and feeling adrift, music was just something to do with his mind, and his hands, and he never for a second imagined that he’d have the chance to play at a place like Jakku. But he’s here, and happy with how his set turned out, and now looking forward to spending the rest of the weekend drinking beer and listening to music with his friends.

He glances towards the bar then and startles to realize that Ben Solo is in line for a drink. The other man looks different than Poe remembers, substantially broader and with his dark hair grown out to his shoulders, but there’s no question that it’s him. Ben is looking directly back at him and lifts his hand in a wave. Poe grins, beckoning him over. Ben nods, indicating the bar he’s shuffling towards, and Poe tips his beer in acknowledgement.

“Who’s that?” Karé asks, following his gaze.

“Childhood friend,” Poe answers, taking a sip of his drink before setting it on the small high table they’ve congregated around. “Haven’t seen him in…ten years, probably?”

They’d been next door neighbors growing up, Ben one year behind Poe in school. They hadn’t always been friends, truth be told, but they’d eventually bonded over a shared love of music. Han and Leia had moved away from Yavin after Ben graduated high school; Poe knew his dad still kept in touch with them, but he’d only seen Ben a time or two since.

They’re a long way from Yavin, now, and it’s with genuine happiness that Poe greets him, when Ben finally emerges from the crush of people at the bar and approaches their table.

“Solo!” Poe exclaims, stepping forward to embrace his friend. “It’s been ages, how the hell are you?” 

“Dameron,” Ben chuckles, hugging him back. “Fancy meeting you here.”

When Poe steps back, he realizes that Ben isn’t alone. There are four others with him, but it’s the dark-haired woman just behind him and to the right that immediately draws his attention.

“Is that Rey?” She smiles broadly, and that’s all the confirmation he needs to step forward and pull her into a hug.

“Hey, Poe.”

He steps back after a moment to look at her. If he hasn’t seen Ben in a decade, it’s been even longer with Rey, not since she was just a kid. She’s almost as tall as he is, now. Her hair is pulled up in a messy bun, the freckles across her nose pronounced after a day in the sun. _She’s beautiful_ , his mind unhelpfully supplies. “Well, _you_ grew up,” he says instead and immediately wants to kick himself. _No shit, Dameron_.

But Rey merely laughs. “It’s been a long time. We saw your set earlier, you sounded great.”

He’d all but forgotten her crisp British accent, the one that made her stand out in Yavin when she arrived to spend a few weeks every summer. And wait, they’d seen his set? He’s both surprised and pleased, and, no, he’s definitely not blushing. “That’s very kind.”

“She’s right, man.” A guy he doesn’t know chimes in from behind Rey, resting his hands on her shoulders. “That was some of the best guitar work I’ve seen. No offense, peanut.”

Rey tries to huff dramatically, but ruins it by smiling. Poe looks between them with amusement. “You play?” He asks Rey.

There’s a soft look in her eye as she answers, as though she’s remembering something. “Yeah, I do. This is my bandmate, Finn Storm. Finn, meet Poe Dameron.”

“Good to meet you, Poe.” Finn stretches out a hand, and Poe takes it. 

“Good to meet you, too, Finn. And thanks for the compliment.”

Finn grins.

Rey introduces the other two, a cheerful girl named Rose, and a tall red-head named Hux, who looks slightly stiff and out-of-place in contrast with the rest of them. Poe brings Snap and Karé into the fold, and they all congregate around the small table.

“So folk music, huh?” Ben challenges Poe, although there’s no heat to his words.

“A bit of a change from what we used to play in my dad’s garage, right?” Poe laughs. “But yeah, it’s been good.”

“Are you signed anywhere?” Hux questions, slightly too deliberately to be casual.

“Nah.” Poe shakes his head.

“You should be.”

“I didn’t think folk music was in your wheelhouse?” Rey questions Hux. Poe guesses that the guy must be from a label, just as she explains: “Hux does A&R.”

“It’s not,” Hux replies. “But even so.” He produces a business card from his pocket and hands it to Poe, who takes it automatically. “Here.” The card reads Armitage Hux and Arkanis Records. It’s not a label Poe is familiar with, but it’s not as though he’s looking to sign anyway.

“I can’t believe you brought business cards,” Rose teases Hux, as Finn tells Poe: “Feel free to ignore him. He thinks in dollar signs.”

Hux rolls his eyes, as Poe pockets the business card. “And without me, none of you would have any. How’s that first album doing again, Storm?”

“So, right,” Poe interjects, waving a hand between Finn and Rey, as Finn concedes the point with a huff. He’s pretty sure by the interaction that Hux represents them, but still doesn’t know anything about their music. “You two have a band. And, an album? Are you playing the festival?”

Rey nods. “Tomorrow.”

“Where are you on the schedule?” He’s already pulling out his phone to check. He’s looked at the lineup so many times, but he doesn’t recall- “Oh.” Now that he’s spotted it, it’s so obvious. So obvious that he should have caught it before, although of course he didn’t know she was a musician. But how many Skywalker’s are there, really? He looks up at her, grins. “Skywalker + Storm?”

Rey laughs. “That’d be us.”

\------------

III.

Rey is thrilled that they end up watching Lando Calrissian, one of the headliners, all together, everyone laughing and talking like old friends by the time they’re heading back towards the campsites at the end of the night. Ben and Hux beg off to catch the shuttle, and Poe raises an eyebrow at Rey after they depart.

“Hotel?”

She laughs. “Hux definitely doesn’t camp,” she explains. “And Ben wasn’t about to fight that battle.”

“They’re together,” he observes, and it isn’t a question. Rey knows it’s not always easy to tell, as Ben and Hux tend to be reserved in public, but she assumes he spotted their kiss in the middle of the last set.

“Is Hux always like that?” Snap asks.

“Yup.” Finn retorts, slinging an arm around Rose’s shoulders as they walk.

“He’s not _that_ bad,” Rey feels inclined to point out. “Just a little stiff. But he’s brilliant at A&R.”

Truthfully, Hux is sometimes infuriating, and he and Finn bicker more than anything else, but Rey knows he’s responsible for a lot of their recent success. They were one of the first groups he signed when he and Phasma split from First Order to found their own label, and he worked almost as hard as they did on their first record. The only person who Hux has possibly done more for is Ben, whose career prospects and attitude in general have improved one hundred percent since they began dating.

“You could always sign with his label,” Karé teases Poe.

He shakes his head. “I don’t know about that.” They’re reaching the first of the rows of campsites now, and he glances to Rey, Finn and Rose. “You guys want to come back to our camp for bit? We’re not too far.”

“And we’ve got beer,” Snap chimes in.

Rey glances at her friends, who smile and shrug. “Sure,” she agrees, and Poe smiles, too.

She won’t admit it to anyone, but Rey had been scanning the crowd for him ever since his performance earlier in the day. She lost track of him once he left the stage and, honestly, it’s kind of amazing they found him again, with the tens of thousands of people on the festival grounds. She would say it’s meant to be, but that sounds kind of ridiculous. It’s been nice to catch up, and she can’t deny the butterflies that have taken up residence in her stomach at seeing him again. Up close, Rey’s earlier assessment is confirmed: Poe Dameron has definitely gotten better with age. She’s all too aware that she hasn’t seen a mirror in twelve hours and has soaked her shirt through with sweat at least four times in that period, but never mind. She’s not ready for the night to end.

It turns out that their campsite isn’t far from the one she shares with Finn and Rose. It’s a bit larger, too, since they’ve brought two vehicles, and decidedly better set up.

“You guys clearly know what you’re doing,” she says, glancing around at the two decently sized tents, a few chairs between them under a carefully constructed overhang.

“It’s not our first rodeo,” Snap quips, as he and Poe head for their respective trucks. Snap comes back with a cooler, Poe with his guitar.

“Not ours, either,” Finn explains. “We at least managed to get a tent this year. Last time Rey and I were here, we slept in the car.” The tent is definitely an improvement, but takes up most of the space not occupied by their shared, used SUV, the one she and Finn pooled their money to buy to cart their gear from gig to gig. At the moment, they share a flat, a car, a selection of music equipment, and - now - a tent. If things continue between he and Rose the way they’re currently looking, they might have to work out some kind of custody arrangement.

“Going to be our last for awhile,” Karé reveals, settling into one of the chairs and resting one hand on her stomach, while Snap takes hold of the other. Rey doesn’t miss the gesture. It was clear they were a couple right away, and she’d noticed the other woman wasn’t drinking earlier, but hadn’t thought too much of it. “Baby on the way.” Rose squeals with excitement, and Rey and Finn chime in to offer their congratulations. “So you’re on your own next time, Dameron.”

“No beer for you,” Poe retorts teasingly, pulling a couple of cans free from the cooler. “Anyone else?”

Rey shakes her head when he holds one in her direction. “I’d love to, but I should probably switch to water. Seeing as I have to sing tomorrow.” She holds up her water bottle in demonstration; she’s filled it about thirty-seven times today.

“Probably smart,” he agrees.

“Well, I don’t have to sing,” Rose laughs, taking the offered drink.

“You still need coordination,” Finn points out. “Or you might knock over the drum kit.” The image of tiny Rose doing such a thing is slightly comical, although her presence behind said drum kit is anything but. Rose sets down her beer long enough to mime a quick riff, then pops open the can and takes a large sip.

“You’re a drummer?” Snap wonders.

Rose nods. “Yep. I don’t always play with these two, special occasion.”

“It’s just the three of you?” Poe asks.

“Ben, too.” Rey tells him, then laughs. “He agreed to stoop to playing bass for his little cousin’s band, just for the weekend.”

“That sounds like him,” Poe agrees. She’s not exactly sure if he means the agreeing to help her out part, or the grumbling about it ever since. Both are probably true. “We’ll have to come see your set.”

“That’d be cool,” she says. She’s trying not to blush and failing miserably, and she’s hoping he can’t tell in the low light.

Poe opens his own beer and then his guitar case. He starts playing, absently meandering from one song to the next, as a backdrop to their conversation. Rey loves listening to him and finds herself humming along from time to time.

“Here.” She’s not even sure how much time has passed when he’s holding the guitar out to her, eyes sparkling with warmth and a bit of mischief. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

It’s an unexpected - and, she’s sure, unintentional - throwback to a different day, long ago, in a different place, and she blinks with the force of the memory. She accepts the guitar, suddenly nervous. She glances up to Rose and Finn, their encouraging and faintly amused faces grinning back at her. So, with a deep breath, she starts to play.

\------------

IV.

Poe is full of barely-contained energy as he, Snap and Karé stand amidst the rapidly growing crowd in front of the stage. They may have only released one record, but Skywalker + Storm have a devoted following, if the excited murmuring surrounding him is any indication. Poe is feeling that excitement himself, although for perhaps a slightly different reason. Sure, he’s thrilled for a chance to see the band. He’s curious about their sound and looking forward to seeing what Finn and Rose can do; he’d liked them both instantly upon meeting them. He already knows Ben is a fantastic bass player. But, if he’s being entirely honest with himself, he’s really here for Rey. 

Snap and Karé clearly know it, too.

“Can you not stand still for three seconds?” Snap teases, as Poe peers over the heads of the people in front of him yet again, eagerly looking towards where the crew is setting up the stage.

“Aw, leave him alone,” Karé chimes in. “He’s just got a crush on the pretty girl.”

Snap laughs loudly, as Poe turns to glare at them both. They’re two of his closest friends, have been since their doolie year at the Academy, when they were eighteen-year-old idiots trying to survive the transformation into members of the service. As such, it sometimes feels like they know him better than he knows himself. And Karé’s not wrong.

He never expected to see Rey Skywalker again and certainly not to react to her reappearance with anything more than nostalgia and fondness. But it’s not Ben’s little kid cousin he sees when she takes the stage with the rest of the band, and a loud cheer goes up from the crowd. She’s dressed casually in denim shorts, a white tee, and a pair of neon blue converse, and she’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever laid eyes on. Poe’s breath catches in his throat as she scans the crowd, grinning, and picks up her guitar.

He’s absolutely done for.

Their set is brilliant. They play a sort of mellow, melodic alt-pop, which is not a genre Poe generally listens to, but he thinks they might be changing his mind about that. Rey and Finn sing mostly together, their voices blending beautifully as they soar above the instrumentals. She’s also an excellent guitarist, as he discovered the previous night. He thinks he might have stared a little too obviously from across the small campsite, totally entranced, but fortunately she’d been too busy playing to notice. Finn is an equally accomplished keyboardist, Rose an impressive force behind the drum kit, and Ben has definitely improved his already considerable skills with a bass since they last time he and Poe jammed together.

He’s a bit hoarse from cheering by the end of it, and genuinely feels a bit of a let down as they bow, and wave, and depart the stage. He turns to Snap and Karé, who are wearing identical looks of amusement.

“Shut up,” he huffs.

Karé grins. “They were awesome, I’ll give you that.”

Snap nods in agreement. “You going to stick around to see your girl?”

“She’s not _my_ girl,” Poe points out. But that doesn’t change the fact that yes, he is. He’d failed to ask for Rey’s number the previous night, doesn’t know where her campsite is located, and is terrified that, once she leaves the stage area, he’ll never find her again in the sea of people.

His friends exchange a glance. “We’re going to get something to eat.” Karé tells him. “You have fun, flyboy. We’ll see you later.”

Poe shakes his head after them and then goes to the side of the stage. His artist pass gets him into the backstage area with no more than a glance, and he quickly spots Rey and the others breaking down their gear. She glances up to say something to Ben and sees him, a wide smile taking over her face. Poe grins back, ignoring the flutter of nerves that he hasn’t felt in front of a girl since he was twenty.

“You came!” She beams, as he reaches them.

“Of course.” He glances around at the group. “That was an amazing set, guys. I’m completely impressed.”

“Thanks, man!” Finn claps him on the shoulder as he passes by, going to help Rose finish disassembling her kit. Rose waves at Poe and grins, before turning her attention back to her snare drum. Ben offers a hand, and Poe shakes it, wondering if the other man is as critical of his own performance as he used to be. But Ben looks pleased enough, his mouth turning up at the corners.

Rey is still staring at him, looking a bit more shy than she had the moment before, a faint blush staining her cheeks. “Thanks, Poe,” she tells him. “That means a lot.”

Hux opens the back of the SUV then, and everyone’s focus shifts to loading the gear into the car. Poe steps in to help, and it doesn’t take long with six of them. Hux is apparently taking the car back to the hotel, Ben going with him, and soon it’s just the remaining four of them exiting the stage area, back into the crush of the crowd. Rey and Finn encounter a group of fans almost immediately, and Poe stands back while they pose for selfies and sign autographs, a fond smile on his face.

“Okay,” Rey breathes, once they’re on their own again. “Now I-“ She’s interrupted by her stomach rumbling loudly, and they all laugh.

“Hungry, sunshine?” Poe teases, and it’s only when she looks to him, startled, that he realizes that the nickname slipped out. He isn’t even sure where it came from, his cheeks pinking at the thought.

It’s Finn who saves him. “Rey is _always_ hungry,” he explains with a laugh.

The woman in question sticks out her tongue. “Well, _yes_ ,” she concedes. “But especially when we’ve just performed for an hour!”

“I could eat,” Rose chimes in.

“Me too,” Finn adds.

“See?” Rey points at him, before turning to Poe. “You coming?”

He nods, happy to follow her wherever she’s going. “Absolutely.”

\------------

V.

Rey is standing in the darkness, in the crowd in front of one of the bigger stages, waiting with thrumming anticipation for Maz Kanata’s headline set. But that isn’t the only reason, maybe not even the main one, for her excitement. For the first time all day, she’s alone with Poe Dameron.

He hasn’t left her side since her set in the late afternoon, and Rey is absolutely delighted. He insisted on paying for her dinner, and readily offered to accompany her when it became clear that their group couldn’t agree on what to see and would be splitting up for the last event of the night. If Finn and Rose are concerned about her going off on her own with a man they barely know, they didn’t give any indication. In fact, Rey is fairly certain they’re one hundred percent here for it. Her friends were looking cozier themselves as the evening progressed, which Rey is thrilled about. They’ve been dancing around dating for awhile now, and she hopes the weekend might push them over the edge.

Rey thinks Poe might be feeling about her something similar to what she feels for him, but she isn’t entirely certain. They’ve been flirting, for sure, but she gets the impression that Poe flirts with everyone. She’s tempted to try and tip the balance, to see what happens, but she’s nervous that she might misread the situation and end up making things weird.

“Did you really want to see Maz?” Rey finally asks, glancing over at Poe in the dark. “Or are you just being nice to me?”

Poe smiles at her, nudging her shoulder. “Can’t both be true?”

Rey smiles back. “Yeah,” she murmurs. “They can.”

She’s momentarily distracted from her companion by the show starting, going up on her toes to better see as the tiny front woman and her band come on stage. The opening song blows her away, and she glances over at Poe to see if he feels the same. She’s startled to realize that he’s not watching the show. He’s watching _her._ Blushing profusely, Rey shuffles a little closer, impulsively reaching for his hand. He glances down and then back up to meet her eyes, and he smiles. After a moment, he steps behind her, arms wrapping around her middle, their fingers still intertwined over her stomach.

“This okay?” he murmurs in her ear, voice low.

Rey nods, leaning back into his broad chest. “It’s perfect.”

They stay that way for the duration of the show. They don’t speak much - it’s hard to, over the noise, but she glances back at him every once in awhile, taking in his features in the flashing lights from the stage. He catches her at it every time, his eyes drifting down to hers, warm with amusement and what looks a rather lot like affection. Sometimes he’s looking at her already, and it’s she who catches him in the act. He’s warm and solid behind her, and she can occasionally hear him humming along with the music.

Rey is falling very hard, and very fast, and it’s simultaneously thrilling and a little bit nuts.

Between the awe of the show in front of her and the excitement - and nerves - over the man behind her, time flies, and she can’t quite believe it when the set comes to an end. She’s clapping and cheering, and Poe’s arms disappear from around her so he can do the same. When the band disappears and the crowd starts to move, she turns to face him, finding that they are still very, very close. She looks up at him - he’s not much taller than she - and he’s staring right back. Rey really wants to kiss him, and nearly does, when she’s knocked into from behind by someone passing by. She stumbles into Poe, who catches her with his hands on her waist, and hers end up pressed against his chest.

“Sorry,” she murmurs.

“I’m really not complaining,” he quips, and she laughs. “But we probably shouldn’t keep standing here.”

Her hand finds his again as they make their way from the stage, out of the crush of bodies. While Rey loves the thrill of being packed in with the crowd, sharing the collective energy, it’s also a relief to find some breathing room. They head towards the campsites, but Poe pauses as they approach the main gates.

“Did you want to find Finn and Rose before we head back?” He wonders. He doesn’t sound entirely enthused by that idea, and Rey stifles a laugh. She’s not particularly enthused by it, either, but she appreciates his willingness to see her safely back to her friends. “Or I can walk you back to your campsite. Or…” He pauses for a moment, and the ensuing seconds feel like five years. “You can come back to mine. If you want.”

Rey nods and squeezes his hand. “I’d like that.”

“Yeah?”

This isn’t like last night, when he’d invited all of them over to sit around the campsite and drink beer. This is something else, and they both know it. “Yeah.”

Poe smiles, and they fall into step again, heading past the gates out towards the long stretch of cars and tents. They’re still holding hands.

“Did you know you were the first person to put a guitar in my hands?” she asks, after a moment. She’s been thinking about it ever since he handed her his guitar last night- no, since he’d asked if she played when they first saw each other yesterday.

“Really?” It’s hard to see his face clearly, with the bright lights of the festival venue behind them and the safety lighting sporadic along the path, but she thinks he looks surprised.

“Uh huh.” Rey smiles at the memory. “I was, like, ten? And hanging around when you and Ben were playing. He told me to get lost, but you showed me how to play a couple of chords. I went back to England at the end of the summer and promptly demanded lessons.” Of course, at least half of the reason was that her cool, older crush played guitar, but it had taken no time at all for her to fall in love with the instrument itself.

“I remember that,” Poe muses. “I don’t know if I knew you took lessons, though. I didn’t realize you played until yesterday.”

“I might never have said,” she admits. Back then, she hadn’t always been able to construct a complete sentence when he was around. “You know I had a crush on you.” It’s less embarrassing to say than she’d imagined.

Poe chuckles. “Now that, I definitely knew.”

She glances over at him in shock. “Wait, you did?”

He nods. “I could kind of tell, but also, Ben told me.”

“That bastard,” Rey gasps. “I swore him to secrecy. I’m going to beat him up.” She presses her free hand over her face. Now, there’s the mortification she was expecting. “God, how embarrassing.”

Poe’s laughing. “I don’t know, I thought it was kind of sweet.”

Rey feels her face heat, glad that he likely can’t see it. “Sure, you did.”

“I did,” he stresses, releasing her hand and snagging her around the shoulders, pulling her into his side as they walk. Rey goes willingly, heart skipping a beat. “You were a pretty adorable kid.”

“I’m not a kid anymore,” she feels compelled to point out. For all of the flirting, and whatever exactly occurred during the headline set, she has a vague sort of fear that he still sees her as the kid sister. She definitely doesn’t want that.

“No.” Poe’s eyes meet hers, holding her gaze with intensity. “No, you definitely are not.”

The moment passes, mainly as they’re still weaving their way through other people’s campsites, and it’s probably not the best place to let things get too heated.

“The last time I saw you,” she says, steering the conversation into safer territory, even while she slides an arm around his waist. “You were about to leave for the Air Force. So what’s Poe Dameron been up to since then?”

“Right.” He laughs. “Well, I was in the service for twelve years. As a pilot.”

“You got to fly.” Rey recalls Ben mentioning that, and also teenage Poe talking about his career aspirations.

“I did.” He smiles at her. “And I loved it. But I was ready to leave the service when I did. The music thing was just for fun, at first. Something to do. But it’s… evolved.” There’s something in his voice as he says this that belies a more complicated story, or at least more complicated emotions. Rey is curious, of course, but it isn’t the right time to press. Not when they’re just getting to know one another again.

“I’ll say,” she agrees instead. “You’re really talented, Poe.”

“Thanks.” He leans over and kisses the side of her head, a gesture that could be familial or something else entirely. It sends a shiver through her. “And then there’s you. That was quite a crowd you and Finn drew earlier.”

Rey blushes again. He seems to be having that effect on her. “The first album got more attention that we expected,” she admits. “Which is great, but it kind of ramped up the insanity overnight.”

Poe chuckles. “I bet. How’d you and Finn meet?”

“University,” she shares. “We were both studying music production, and we clicked right away. We’ve been making music together for awhile now, but the Skywalker + Storm sound is a more recent iteration.”

“Well, I think you’re both fantastic,” he says. “If my opinion counts for anything.”

“It does.” They’ve reached his campsite now, and they stop in the middle, turning to fully face each other. “It counts for a lot, Poe.”

They stand still for a second longer, perhaps two, and then the space between them evaporates and their lips are crashing together. Poe’s arms slide around her waist, while her hands grip at his shoulders. The kiss is intense and heated, and they only break apart at the hoot from a passerby.

Rey laughs, leaning her forehead against Poe’s. They’re both breathing more heavily than normal. “We should probably-“, at the same time that he says. “Tent?”

She nods, and he leads the way into his sleeping quarters. It’s cozy, but with enough room for two, and Poe flicks on a lamp in the corner that casts just enough light for them to not trip over anything, or each other. Unintentionally, anyway.

“I should probably text Finn and Rose,” Rey realizes, as Poe zips the tent closed behind them. “So they don’t wonder where I am.”

“Don’t want them coming to look for you?” Poe teases, and Rey knows that’s exactly what they’d do. Hopefully they’ll appreciate having a night to themselves in the tent. She thinks Poe had the right idea by bringing his own.

“Nope.” She pulls out her phone and sends the message. “Definitely not.”

Finn’s reply pops up almost immediately: a scandalized looking emoji, followed by _Have fun. Be safe!_ Rey tucks her phone away and kicks off her shoes, before turning to look at Poe. He’s sitting on his air mattress and, in the low light, she can just make out the warm, fond look in his eyes. It nearly takes her breath away.

She crawls across the small space, ending up between his knees. When their lips touch this time, it’s much slower, more gentle, but no less thrilling. She buries her hands in his hair - it’s as soft as she’s always imagined -, and his arms wrap around her, pulling her closer. Poe’s lips trail across her skin, finding a spot behind her ear that literally makes her knees go weak. His hands slide up under her shirt, warm against her skin, and she sits back so he can pull it off over her head. She can’t help but laugh as it hits the floor.

“What?” His eyes sparkle with amusement when they meet her own.

“I was just thinking what twelve year old me would think of this,” Rey chuckles. Thrilled, for sure, but also - “Although she’d probably be a little scandalized.”

Poe shakes his head. “Can we not talk about you at twelve while I’m taking your clothes off?” He pleads, and Rey laughs again.

“Sorry, sorry.” She kisses him hard, enjoying the pleased noise he makes into her mouth. She pulls back just enough to tug his own shirt over his head, and he looks impossibly more attractive when he emerges from the other side, hair a mess, and eyes dark with desire. “Better?”

He smirks at her and then abruptly flips them over, with one arm around her waist and the other around her thighs. She squeaks in surprise, then laughs, as her back hits the air mattress, Poe hovering over her. Her amusement fades as they stare at each other, and she reaches up to trace a hand over his jaw line, wanting to memorize the way he’s looking at her in this moment and hold on to it forever.

“Much,” he murmurs, and then his lips descend to hers.

\------------

VI.

Poe is very warm. Eyes fluttering open, he smiles when he realizes why: Rey Skywalker is curled up against him on the air mattress that really isn’t meant for two, her back pressed to his chest. They’re both in their underwear - safer than sleeping naked in a tent with no door to lock -, and the light blanket he’d pulled over them is long gone, but he’s already starting to sweat. The temperature in the tent is climbing with the rising sun, even at what he knows is still a relatively early hour, and it won’t be bearable inside for all that much longer.

He presses a kiss to Rey’s hair, and she sighs and stretches, turning to face him. “Hi,” she whispers, a smile gracing her own features.

“Hey,” he murmurs back. “Sorry if I woke you.”

“It’s fine.” She shrugs one shoulder. “I think the heat woke me.”

“Me too,” he agrees.

“What time is it?”

Poe reaches for his phone, squinting at it. “Just after seven.”

Rey groans, pressing her face into his chest. “I don’t want to move.”

Poe idly plays with her hair, running his fingers through the soft strands. “Me either. But we’re going to have to pretty soon.”

“I do need a shower,” she concedes after a moment, the words muffled from where she’s tucked against him. “I suppose that’s one good thing about going home today. My own, clean, private, shower.”

He laughs, not disagreeing. “Where’s home?”

“New York.”

“City?”

“Mmhm.” She hums.

Poe props himself up on an elbow, peering down at her. “Me too.”

That gets her attention, and she leans back to meet his eyes. “No kidding?”

He smiles. “So, if I were to ask for your number, so I could take you out on a proper date, what would you say?”

Her answering smile is blinding, and Poe feels lighter than he has in a long time. “As long as it doesn’t end with us sleeping on the ground, I’m all in.”

He laughs, wrapping his arms around her. “I’ll have you know, this is a very comfortable air mattress.”

“Uh huh.” Rey doesn’t sound terribly convinced, but she’s still grinning at him. “Maybe for _one_ person.”

“I didn’t hear you complaining last night.”

“Well, I was a little distracted.”

“Only a _little?_ ” He pokes her in the ribs, and she giggles and bats his hand away, which is exactly the reaction he was looking for. He tries tickling her again, and she squeals and immediately retaliates, and then they’re full on wrestling, or as much as they can without rolling off of the air mattress and risking knocking the tent over. Rey is surprisingly strong, and he doesn’t object when she rolls on top of him, because it’s not an unwelcome development. However, as they stare at each other, breathing heavily, the realization dawns on both of them at the same moment.

“It’s too hot,” Rey whines, dropping her head to his shoulder. “Too hot for sex.”

Poe exhales heavily, running a hand over her back. “Yep.”

It’s really too hot for what they’re doing, even, so they reluctantly disentangle. They can’t seem to keep their hands off of each other, easily finding excuses to touch, and kiss, as they navigate the small space. Eventually, the rising temperature drives them into their clothes and out of the tent, where Poe retrieves them each a bottle of water. Rey chugs almost all of hers in one go.

“I should head back.” She’s in one of the camp chairs, lacing up her Converse. Poe can hear Snap and Karé moving around in their tent. He should start getting packed up, himself, as it’s a lengthy drive back to New York. He might need a shower first. “Rose and Finn will kill me if I leave them to pack up by themselves.”

“Yeah.” He smiles at her as she gets to her feet. “You go. But will you give me your number first?”

She grins, taking the phone from his outstretched hand and programming herself into his contacts. She slides the device into the pocket of his shorts and then kisses him. It’s brief - they do both have to get moving, after all. “I’ll see you in New York, Poe Dameron.”

She’s about ten feet away from his campsite when an idea occurs to him. “Rey!” She pauses at his shout, turns back. It’s ridiculous, and probably a little much, and Poe is so in over his head, but he doesn’t care. “Do you want a ride home?”

He watches as recognition dawns and a smile takes over her face. Then she’s coming back, breaking into a jog for the few final steps before she all but tackles him, her lips colliding with his. There’s a wolf-whistle behind him - it’s definitely Snap, and Poe would flip him off except that would require letting go of Rey - and she waves sheepishly at his friends when they finally break apart.

“Sure,” she says then.

“Unless you think Rose and Finn will kill you for not driving home with them, too.” He’s sort of teasing, but Poe also genuinely doesn’t want to take her away from her friends.

Rey shakes her head. “They’ll be fine. But I’ll check to make sure. What time do you want to leave?”

“Just come back when you’re ready, sunshine.”

Rey nods, smiles. Blushes. “Okay.” And then she’s stepping away from him, weaving through the campsites and out of sight.

“Man, you’ve got it bad.” Poe turns from staring after Rey to glare good-naturedly at Snap. “But she does, too, so it looks like you’re in luck.” Snap claps him on the shoulder. “Now get it together, Dameron, or you’ll never get out of here.”

\------------

VII.

“You’re what?”

Ben is staring at Rey with a quizzical expression. She isn’t exactly sure why he and Hux even bothered to come to their campsite. They certainly aren’t helping dismantle the tent that she and Rose are currently fighting with. Ostensibly, they came to coordinate the trip home, but Rey isn’t really sure why that matters. True, they have most of the band’s gear in the back of Hux’s SUV, but it’s not like she doesn’t know where he lives. It’s exactly this kind of over-the-top planning that makes Hux both very good at his job and frequently very irritating. She’s kind of surprised he didn’t just text, seeing as he’s not very fond of the heat, and he and Ben had to walk from one of the loading-in lots to the camping area.

“I’m driving home with Poe.”

She’s already explained as much to Finn and Rose, who reacted more or less as she’d expected. Rose has been grilling her for details during the entirety of the tent wrangling, and Finn just gave her a warm smile and threw an arm around her shoulders. She would never have left either one of them to drive back alone, but they have each other for the swapping off of driving duty, not to mention company. And from the looks they’re giving each other, that’s not something either of them mind.

“Why?” Ben asks.

All four of them turn to stare at him. Ben immediately seems to realize that he’s missed something, and it only takes another second before he works out what that is.

“Wait. You… and Poe?” He gestures something incomprehensible. “When did that happen?”

“Yesterday,” Rey explains.

“The night before,” Finn and Rose correct in unison.

“ _Nothing_ happened the night before,” she splutters.

“Flirting is something,” Rose counters.

“But.” Ben is still struggling with this development. Rey appreciates that it might be weird for him, but it’s not as though he and Poe really have a relationship, at this point. “You and Poe. My little cousin and my high school friend. You… and Poe?”

“For Heaven’s sake, Benjamin,” Hux snaps, sounding partly exasperated and partly amused. “Do try to keep up. Even _I_ noticed _._ ”

Ben shoots Hux an affronted look, and Rey can’t help it. She starts giggling. Rose and Finn join in and, after a moment, even Ben and Hux crack a smile.

“Finally!” Rose exclaims, as the tent neatly folds to the ground. Rey helps her secure it, and they carry it over to the SUV. A few minutes of rearranging and the car is packed, ready to go. Rey glances around the campsite, empty now except for the car, the five of them standing around, and her bag, sitting off to the side. It’s been a wild, unexpected weekend, and she’s a little sad that it’s over.

“We should go,” Hux tells Ben.

“Us too,” Finn agrees. He turns to Rey. “Travel safe, peanut. I’ll see you at home?”

“I’ll be there,” she promises. She hugs each of them in turn, even her grumbling cousin and her not-very-tactile manager. As Rose and Finn get into the SUV, and Ben and Hux turn to make their way back to their own car, she picks up her bag and starts the walk back to Poe’s campsite.

Sure, she’s a little sad the weekend is over, but she has a feeling what comes next is going to be pretty great.

**Author's Note:**

> I have the start of a sequel plot bunny kicking around in my brain, so let me know if you'd be interested and maybe that'll inspire me to write it!


End file.
